592. Obama

I'm starting this post at 11:20 pm which is well past my bedtime. It isn't always that a powerful forty-eight year old mixed race intellectual native Hawaiian male keeps me up to this hour, but it was worth it.

Earlier this afternoon I received in my email a survey from the ACLU, one of several organizations which I have tried to regularly support over the years. (Full disclosure - I haven't renewed for this year but will this weekend). The survey asked six questions on rating the president's first year in office. I did not give him the best of grades. I gave him a fair on one, poor on four, and no comment on the final question.

After tonight's speech, I am at least a little more hopeful that the second year will be better than the first. Of course, that wouldn't take a hell of a lot of work - the first one has been relatively disastrous.

In tonight's State of the Union address, the president properly pointed out that his part of the problem is but one year of a bad nine year cycle. He pointed out where the surplus was in 2000 and where the deficit was in 2009 at his inauguration. He did not have to state the obvious - George W. Bush was the 44th best president the Republic had ever endured. He led us into two wars, lowered taxes in a time of economic uncertainty, provided less and less regulation to the markets, and more and more tax breaks to the rich. The Federal economy all but failed and led to a failing response around the world. Amazing how one man and his political party's beliefs could nearly bring down the most advanced society on the planet in history. But, it happened.

The good news is we have lived through it. But we are not out of the tunnel and in-house (or in-Republic) politics is not making it easier. The president boldly (and historically) called out the very partisan 5-4 United States Supreme Court on their decision last week to allow foreign corporations the unbridled ability to take over our political system through an influx of dollars. He boldly pointed out that the bullies on the right side of aisle were just that - bullies whose lack of patriotism has been and will continue to destroy our country simply because they aren't in charge. And Mitch McConnell smiled and giggled. What a jerk. [I seriously considered dropping the f-bomb in that last sentence right before the word jerk].

The president offered several conservative markers by which his first year could be defined - tax cuts, help for businesses large and small, and proposed new investments in nuclear power, clean coal, and offshore drilling. And the Republicans in the House chamber responded without applause and instead offered hushed occasional sneers, again led by Mitch. They are embarassing. The current Republican Party is the most antithetical, unpatriotic gathering of men and women ever assembled as members of Congress. Most of them should be tried for treason.

As I stated at the top of the post, I am not happy with the lack of progress the president made in his first year. I'm greatly disappointed. And I do not place the entire blame on Senator McConnell and his group of schoolhouse bullies whose favorite word seems to be no. Blame can be rightfully shared with the president and Rahm Emanuel, and more rightfully shared by Harry Reid and the less-than-willing group of Sixty (until last week) that he led less-than-successfully during the past year. The one group in Washington which seems to be doing the people's business is the United States House of Representatives. Good for them.

The president's message tonight offered some renewed hope for 2010 - hope badly needed. He himself must get the work and hope started - by Executive Order if necessary, and he issued one within the context of his speech.

In the end, he closed by borrowing - if only briefly - from Teddy Kennedy's 1980 speech at the Democratic National Convention. On August 12, 1980, the late senator closed his address with "For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."

Tonight the president closed with the phrase "We don't quit. I don't quit. Let's seize this moment – to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and to strengthen our union once more."

Hope Springs Eternal.

Thanks Be To God.

591. Religious wandering at an end

My Six Faithful Readers, and perhaps a few others of you, will know that for many years, about six and half, I've been betwixt and between church homes. Sometime in the summer of 2003, I conscientiously made a decision to leave the Roman Catholic Church and see if God would call me into a new church home or if I'd be left wandering in the wilderness for the last forty years of my life, as, apparently, he allowed some of his earlier followers to do, notably Moses.

It has been an interesting and educational journey. Almost all of it was spent in other churches here along the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606. I wandered in and out of a few other Catholic churches. St. Boniface is an historic old church downtown in the Clarksdale neighborhood. I have worshipped there in the past at noontime. St. Williams at 13th and Oak streets is a far-left version of the Catholic church, so far left that I wasn't sure what denomination it was. I went a few times to a mega-church in northern Bullitt County, Little Flock Baptist, just to see if there was any appeal - either to a Baptist church (since I had belonged to one as a teenager) or to a mega-church. Neither aspect worked. Certain friends recommended the United Church of Christ, long before anyone knew that was the denomination to which a little-known-at-the-time Illinois State Senator named Barack Obama belonged. St. John's United Church of Christ, downtown on E. Market Street, is a beautiful old cathedral looking building and I did enjoy my visits there.

But one of my strong beliefs is the idea known in some churches as Apostolic Succession, which is the continuation of an earlier bishop laying his (and now her) hands on ordaining the next generation of bishops, down through the ages, to the current time. Such a belief pretty much tied me to the Catholic, Orthodox, or Anglican churches. The truth is it is unclear if such a succession is true all the way back to Jesus' turning over the keys to the church to Peter, as written in the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 16, Verses 18 and 19. There does seem to be an unbroken and verifiable line since the 4th century, which is a pretty long time. If tradition holds that it has been thus for seventeen centuries, I can accept on faith that it was also thus for the first four.

So my guidelines were narrowed by this requirement. I had visited three different Episcopal churches - as the Anglican church in America is called - during my wandering: Calvary on 4th Street, Christ Church Cathedral downtown on 2nd Street, and Advent on Baxter Avenue at the top of Broadway. The Cathedral has been modernised in much the same way as the Catholic Cathderal on 5th Street has. Calvary remains a very traditional looking church. It is located in the immediate area of the very small Spalding University, my collegiate alma mater, and I visited there several times and had friends who were members there. But it was my visits to Advent which got my attention. The first visit was in 2004.

Advent is a very small parish in a very old church, perched at the top of the Cherokee Triangle neighborhood, adjacent to the Original Highlands, and on the very eastern edge of what one might call downtown. It is pictured below. It has also been a struggling parish on the brink of closing a few times. In my visits there, the people were always cordial and welcoming. I guess when there are only twenty-five or so at a Mass, the sight of a new face got their attention. They went through several interim rectors while I was going through several interim church homes. But I found myself always going back to that one little church where I felt welcomed and where I felt comfortable with an ancient style of worship, celebrating the Eucharist, listening to readings from the Old Testament, the Psalms, the Epistles, and the Gospels each and every Sunday. Sometime in very late 2008, I realized that this was a place I could worship not just as a visitor, but as a member. Last February, I requested to be included in whatever classes were necessary for membership and instruction. But even before my formal reception in the church, I have become an active participant. I've attended special services, participated in some outreach programs, bought a ticket to the big fundraiser (part of any church's calendar), and found myself in the rotation of reading the Prayers of the People, part of each Sunday's serivce.

Today, all the searching ends and, by an anceint and simple ceremony, I will be officially "received" into the Episcopal Church of the Advent by Bishop Ted Gulick, the Bishop of the Diocese of Kentucky. I will be joining four or five others who will become members in their own way, either "received" as I am, or confirmed. The service and mass is at 10:30 this morning with a reception to follow. I am pleased.

590. Decisions, Decisions, and Decisions.

I've not written for a while. Much has changed. I've gotten older this week. No, I didn't have a birthday - that is in September - September 23rd for those who have their calendars handy. It is on a Thursday this year and I will, in fact, be getting older then. It will be my 50th. Damn.

Earlier this week, my little brother turned 48. That made me old enough. Tomorrow my mother will be 70. Seventy. That makes both of us older. Double Damn. My mother, who is probably my best friend and has been for most of my life, was born in Frankfort at the old Kings Daughters Hospital downtown on Steele Street, on January 22, 1940. She is the only child of her late parents, Vivian "Tommie" Lewis and Daniel Thomas Hockensmith. She lives in the house her father built in 1957 off South Park Road in southern Jefferson County, along with my ailing (but doing better) father (whom she divorced in 1964 but takes good care of him nonetheless) as well as my niece Lindsey, who helps a lot, and Lindsey's boyfriend Matt. That home has always housed a variety of relatives and would-be relatives, and including Dad, once-were relatives (at least in her book). So, tommorrow we celebrate. Happy 70th Mom.

But it is perilous times in which we are celebrating. A year ago I was celebrating in grand fashion with friends the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president. We travelled to the Federal city to enjoy the festivities, and we did have a great time. But the year has not been good in as many respects as one would like. We're still at war, something a lot of us thought we'd be getting out of. Instead we're just shifting over, albeit to a more logical foe, the Afghans. We've started and not finished more than a few legislative battles including the elephant in the room, health care. It will likely go unfinished now that the voters of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts have deprived the Democrats of a magical 60th vote in the United States Senate. And, proving they are the strongest arm of the Republic, today the Supreme Court, on a 5-4 vote (sound familiar), has decided that corporations have First Amendments rights, including those involving donations to political campaigns. (A note here - unlike most of my liberal brethren, I have always sided with Mitch McConnell on this matter, known in legal circles as Buckley v. Valeo, a 1976 case on the matter which was revisited in another case, McConnell v. FEC in 2003, and now this one, known as Citizens United v. FEC). With today's ruling, striking down parts of the McCain/Feingold law, we will return to the pre-Theodore Roosevelt/Bill Taft days of an America where unrestrained capitalism is king and absolute power will corrupt absolutely. It has not been a good week for the American Republic.

I had intended to go further here but I've just this moment received a text-message telling me of the passing of a family friend, "Aunt Rosie" Krill. Aunt Rosie wasn't my aunt - rather she was the aunt of my friend Sherry. My guess is Aunt Rosie is in her 90s. She was quite a character. Her brother, Pete Habeeb (also deceased), once operated the old Min's Cafe on Story Avenue. I worked for Pete as a night manager there in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Aunt Rosie worked many years at Min's. Her sons operate the Colonnade Restaurant here in town. I'll quit here. Rest In Peace Aunt Rosie. May your soul and the souls of all the departed Rest In Peace.

Thanks Be To God.

589. Slow Getting Started

As some of you know, I have that map on my wall - the one of Kentucky -with counties outlined in red or green or black indicating my visits to a county in a given year. The 2009 map still hangs, as-yet-unreplaced by a 2010 map. Until last night, on the 15th of the month, I had not made it out of Jefferson County. Shame!

Fortunately, I had scheduled to have dinner with Chris Hartman last night. When making those plans, it was my intention to do so at Third Avenue Cafe in Old Louisville. However, he was in Frankfort (and remains so today) organizing a summit for people interested in the ACLU, the (Louisville) Fairness Campaign, the Kentucky Fairness Alliance, the Lexington Fairness group, and the Human Relations Commission of Kentucky. They are meeting today, with approximately 100 registrants thus far, at the Paul Sawyier Library - actually the new Paul Sawyier Library - on Wapping Street in Frankfort. So I agreed to meet in Frankfort. Frankfort is one of my favorite places on the planet.

So, we were going to meet for a glass of wine at Capital Cellars, a wine bar/retail store at Broadway and Lewis Street. I've been meaning to go in there for some time as it is just a few doors over from my favorite Frankfort coffeeshop, the Kentucky Coffeetree Coffeeshop. Alas, the wine bar was packed in all corners and Chris had informed me he was bringing five friends to our little dinner.

We wandered across Broadway, which involves also crossing an R. J. Corman railroad line, the old line connecting Frankfort to Louisville and Lexington. Across the street is Gibby's, a bustling family restaurant which specializes in Italian food among other things. It, too, was packed, but we - the six of us - managed to squeeze into a booth designed for four. Well, five of them did. Being the oldest, I pulled rank and sat in a chair provided at the end of the booth.

After an hour and half dinner of spaghetti or chili or hotbrowns or the Fort Hill sandwich, we proceded over to the motel where most of the registrants for the summit appeared to be staying and put together informational booklets for today's session, something I'm not attending.

The point here is I finally got out of Jefferson County. Albeit, I only travelled the fifty-five miles up and down I-64, something I do on a very regular basis. But still it was liberating to get out of the home county for the first time in a new year. So, sometime next week I'll affix a new calendar to the wall in my office and file away the old one with all the others. And in a heavy line I will outline the counties of Jefferson, Shelby, and Franklin, thus beginning the 32nd year of such records.

Thanks Be To God.

588. An Ethics Discussion

The Metro Democratic Club, Louisville's largest Democratic club, will meet tonight, its regular meeting night, for a discussion of Ethics. Specifically, two Democratic members of the Louisville Metro Council, Councilwoman Marianne Butler and Councilman Brent Ackerson (who is my boss) will be addressing the club on the Ethics proposals before the Metro Council for consideration. You will note I used the word proposals as there are two. One is sponsored by Republican Councilman Ken Fleming and probably has the support of 9 of the 10 Republicans on the Council. The other is co-sponsored by Councilwoman Butler and Councilman Jon Ackerson, the latter of whom is a Republican (and father of the Democratic councilman Brent Ackerson). The latter ordinance is probably supported by the 15 Democrats, the Democratic Councilman Ackerson and the Republican Councilman Ackerson. The discussion will center on where the council is on resolving the differences between the two proposed ordinances and when we can expect passage. This should make for an interesting evening.

The club meets at the American Legion Hall on Bardstown Road, three blocks north of the Watterson. Doors open at 6, discussion begins at 6:30.

Friday Night Fun with Kentucky's Counties. "And then there were 55."

During most every session of the General Assembly, someone laments the fact that Kentucky has 120 counties, although we can only afford about 75 of them. Commissions are formed, arguments are made, and nothing ever happens - and nothing ever will. Over time, I've often thought about how I would arrange the counties if given the chance. Since I'm never going to be given the chance - and it is my blog, I have, here below, came up with a list of Kentucky's new arrangement of counties, a total of 55 counties of varying shapes and sizes. I've tried to accomodate geographical similarities as well as transportation alignments. I've ignored politics.

It isn't all pretty - there are two in particular which I do not care for, but they went where they could only go. I've also proposed which present county seats would remain as the county seats in the newly formed counties. In that regard, I've moved two county seats altogether (marked with an (*) in the lists below) for reasons which make sense if you look at them on a map. (For the record, I've kept Eddyville as a county seat which means, that if my plan were approved, this new county would be the fourth different county Eddyville has served as the seat of government).

I've also applied new names altogether to most of the new counties. There are a few names I'm not happy with but I've done the best I can. So listed below are my 55 counties, some of which you'll recognise since they aren't changed from the present. These tend to be the population centers. There are fourteen of them. At the end, the new counties are listed alphabetically (along with their proposed county seats), since that is the way most of us are used to seeing them.

It is all fantasy. Do you think Georgia or Texas ever worry about their number of counties? Let me know what you think.

*****

1. Mississippi County: composed of the former counties of Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton, and Hickman, named for the Mississippi River. County Seat: Wickliffe.
2. McCracken County: unchanged. County Seat: Paducah.
3. Mayfield County: composed of the former counties of Calloway and Graves, named for Mayfield Creek. County Seat: Mayfield.
4. Grand Rivers County: composed of the former counties of Livingston and Marshall, named for the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers. County Seat: Benton.
5. Barkley County: composed of the former counties of Caldwell, Lyon, and Trigg, named for former Vice President Alben Barkley. County Seat: Eddyville.
6. Tradewater County: composed of the former counties of Crittenden, Union, and Webster. County Seat: Morganfield.
7. Henderson County: unchanged. County Seat: Henderson.
8. Daviess County: unchanged. County Seat: Owensboro.
9. Pond River County: composed of the former counties of Hopkins and McLean, named for the Pond River. County Seat: Madisonville.
10. Christian County: unchanged. County Seat: Hopkinsville.
11. Jefferson Davis County: composed of the former counties of Logan and Todd, named for Jefferson Davis. County Seat: Russellville.
12. Paradise County: composed of the former counties of Muhlenberg and Ohio, named for the town on the Green River. County Seat: Greenville.
13. Warren County: unchanged. County Seat: Bowling Green.
14. Three Rivers County: composed of the former counties of Butler, Edmonson, and Grayson, named for the Green, Nolin, and Rough rivers. County Seat: Leitchfield.
15. Breckinridge County: composed of the former counties of Breckinridge, Hancock, and Meade, named for the historic Breckinridge family in Kentucky. County Seat: Hardinsburg.
16. Tennessee County: composed of the former counties of Allen, Monroe, and Simpson, named for the bordering state. County Seat: Scottsville.
17. Barren County: composed of the former counties of Barren and Metcalfe, named for the former Barren County. County Seat: Glasgow.
18. Hardin County: unchanged. County Seat: Elizabethtown.
19. Salt River County: composed of the former counties of Bullitt and Spencer, named for the Salt River. County Seat: Mount Washington (*)
20. Jefferson County: unchanged. County Seat: Louisville.
21. Abraham Lincoln County: composed of the former counties of Hart and Larue, named for President Abraham Lincoln. County Seat: Munfordville.
22. Nelson County: unchanged. County Seat: Bardstown.
23. Isaac Shelby County: composed of the former counties of Henry and Shelby, named for Governor Isaac Shelby. County Seat: Shelbyville.
24. Oldham County: composed of the former counties of Oldham and Trimble. County Seat: LaGrange.
25. Franklin County: composed of the former counties of Anderson and Franklin. County Seat: Frankfort.
26. Eagle County: composed of the former counties of Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, and Owen. County Seat: Owenton.
27. Boone County: unchanged. County Seat: Burlington.
28. Kenton County: unchanged. County Seat: Independence.
29. Campbell County: unchanged. County Seat: Alexandria.
30. Green River County: composed of the former counties of Adair, Green, and Taylor. County Seat: Campbellsville.
31. Washington County: composed of the former counties of Marion and Washington, named for President George Washington. County Seat: Springfield.
32. Kentucky County: composed of the former counties of Boyle and Mercer, named for the roles Harrodsburg and Danville played in the founding of the county and later state of Kentucky. County Seat: Harrodsburg.
33. Fayette County: unchanged. County Seat: Lexington.
34. Herrington County: composed of the former counties of Garrard and Jessamine, named for Herrington Lake. County Seat: Lancaster.
35. Midway County: composed of the former counties of Scott and Woodford, named for the community of Midway. County Seat: Georgetown.
36. Kincaid County: composed of the former counties of Bracken, Pendleton, and Robertson, named for Kincaid Lake. County Seat: Falmouth
37. Hinkston County: composed of the former counties of Bourbon, Harrison, and Nicholas, named for Hinkston Creek. County Seat: Cynthiana.
38. Cumberland River County: composed of the former counties of Clinton, Cumberland, and Wayne, named for the Cumberland River. County Seat: Monticello.
39. Lake Cumberland County: composed of the former counties of Pulaski and Russell, named for Lake Cumberland. County Seat: Somerset.
40. William Whitley County: composed of the former counties of Casey, Lincoln, and Rockcastle, named for pioneer William Whitley. County Seat: Crab Orchard (*)
41. Boonesborough County: composed of the former counties of Estill and Madison, named for the pioneer Fort Boonesborough. County Seat: Richmond.
42. Cumberland Falls County: composed of the former counties of Knox, McCreary, and Whitley, named for the Cumberland Falls. County Seat: Williamsburg.
43. Wilderness County: composed of the former counties of Clay, Jackson, Laurel, and Owsley, named for the Wilderness Road. County Seat: London.
44. George Rogers Clark County: composed of the former counties of Clark and Montgomery. County Seat: Winchester.
45. Limestone County: composed of the former counties of Bath, Fleming, and Mason, named for the historic name of Maysville. County Seat: Flemingsburg.
46. Natural Bridge County: composed of the former counties of Lee, Menifee, Powell, and Wolfe, named for the geological formation. County Seat: Campton.
47. Tygarts County: composed of the former counties of Carter, Greenup, and Lewis, named for Tygarts Creek. County Seat: Grayson.
48. Pike County: unchanged. County Seat: Pikeville.
49. Pine Mountain County: composed of the former counties of Bell, Harlan, and Leslie, named for the mountain ridge. County Seat: Harlan.
50. Breathitt County: composed of the former counties of Breathitt and Perry, named for the historic Breathitt family. County Seat: Hazard
51. Carr Creek County: composed of the former counties of Knott and Letcher, named for Carr Creek. County Seat: Whitesburg.
52. Floyd County: composed of the former counties of Floyd and Magoffin. County Seat: Prestonsburg.
53. Boyd County: unchanged. County Seat: Catlettsburg.
54. Big Sandy County: composed of the former counties of Johnson, Martin, and Lawrence, named for the Big Sandy River. County Seat: Paintsville.
55. Cave Run County: composed of the former counties of Elliott, Morgan, and Rowan, named for the Cave Run Lake. County Seat: Sandy Hook.

1 Abraham Lincoln County, Munfordville
2 Barkley County, Eddyville
3 Barren County, Glasgow
4 Big Sandy County, Paintsville
5 Boone County, Burlington (unchanged)
6 Boonesborough County, Richmond
7 Boyd County, Catlettsburg (unchanged)
8 Breathitt County, Hazard
9 Breckinridge County, Hardinsburg
10 Campbell County, Newport (unchanged)
11 Carr Creek County, Whitesburg
12 Cave Run County, Sandy Hook
13 Christian County, Hopkinsville (unchanged)
14 Cumberland Falls County, Williamsburg
15 Cumberland River County, Monticello
16 Daviess County, Owensboro (unchanged)
17 Eagle County, Owenton
18 Fayette County, Lexington (unchanged)
19 Floyd County, Prestonsburg
20 Franklin County, Frankfort
21 George Rogers Clark County, Winchester
22 Grand Rivers County, Benton
23 Green River County, Campbellsville
24 Hardin Coumty, Elizabethtown (unchanged)
25 Henderson County, Henderson (unchanged)
26 Herrington County, Lancaster
27 Hinkston County, Cynthiana
28 Isaac Shelby County, Shelbyville
29 Jefferson County, Louisville (unchanged)
30 Jefferson Davis County, Russellville
31 Kenton County, Independence (unchanged)
32 Kentucky County, Harrodsburg
33 Kinkaid County, Falmouth
34 Lake Cumberland County, Somerset
35 Limestone County, Flemingsburg
36 Mayfield County, Mayfield
37 McCracken County, Paducah (unchanged)
38 Midway County, Georgetown
39 Mississippi County, Wickliffe
40 Natural Bridge County, Campton
41 Nelson County, Bardstown (unchanged)
42 Paradise County, Greenville
43 Pike County, Pikeville (unchanged)
44 Pine Mountain County, Harlan
45 Pond River County, Madisonville
46 Oldham County, La Grange
47 Salt River County, Mount Washington (*)
48 Tennessee County, Scottsville
49 Three Rivers County, Leitchfield
50 Tradewater County, Morganfield
51 Tygarts County, Grayson
52 Warren County, Bowling Green (unchanged)
53 Washington County, Springfield
54 Wilderness County, London
55 William Whitley County, Crab Orchard (*)

[The blog was edited on 02/13/2012 to add the map which was designed by Michael Garton. I am very happy he took the time to do this.]

586. Sarah

Sarah. You remember her - she used to be John McCain's running mate; she also used to be governor of Alaska; and, Levi Johnston's girlfriend's mother. Now she is coming to Kentucky - to Louisville no less to some affair at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which, like Louisville's once great newspaper, is only a shadow of its former role as being predominant in its field.

Former Governor Palin is coming to town on April 16th. Interesting date. April 16th happens to be the last day of the next reporting period for Kentucky candidates to file reports with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. They are due at 11:59 pm that night.

My guess is one or another of the local and state Republican candidates will make an attempt to capitalise (in more ways than one) on the former governor's appearance here in the Commonwealth. There seems to be a civil war of sorts going on on that side of the political aisle. Both Bill Johnson and Rand Paul claim to be the "real" conservative in the race - which means both are claiming that not only is the other an imposter, but that Trey Grayson isn't even being considered as a part of the scenario in "who can out-conservative the other" when it comes to being a good Kentucky Republican. Locally, the person who would have most likely called on the former governor for some credibility-cash, Marilyn Parker, recently withdrew from her quixotic race against Congressman Yarmuth. Maybe Chris Theinemann sees an opening here - who knows.

I just don't think the former governor coming to town on what happens to be the last day of a reporting period is a coincidence. In politics, nothing is coincidental. Some things are mistakes, but most things are as coordinated and choreographed as a well planned Loews and Lerner musical. I'm sure the former governor's visit will be a grand exercise in theater - and fundraising. Oh yeah, she's selling a book, too.

585. Snow

I promised I'd comment on either the governor's State of the Commonwealth address or the weather. The weather is much more pleasant. Not pleasant in temperature, just subject matter.

My six faithful readers know that I like the snow. It is snowing now although the flakes are very powdery and I don't think we're going to see any epic snowfall. As is the norm, Jefferson County Public Schools remained opened while all our surrounding counties closed. We are getting just enough to empty the shelves at Kroger.

When I went early this morning to the store at Second and Breckinridge streets, there was no wheat bread, no skim milk, and no hamburger. So, I have white bread, 2% milk, and ground chuck instead. We'll have a hot time in the kitchen tonight cooking up a pot of chili - the one thing I know how to cook - that should last through the forecasted cold weather for the next few days.

One more note - my brother came over last night with a blowtorch and an aircompressor, and after some work in my cellar, restored running water to my house after a three day absence.

Life is good. Thanks Be To God.

[The picture at the top was taken this morning by Mike Slaton at Louisville's Joe Creason Park, on Trevilian way between Illinois Avenue and Newburg Road]

584. We're an incestuous bunch

So to speak.

I'm speaking of blogs and their readers. I'm both a blog writer and a blog reader. And like many of you, I jump from one blog to the next, coursing through about 20 different ones that I read most everyday. You may not read that many, but based on statistics gathered by my people-countering meters (shown in the right-side column), many of you come here from one blog and then leave here for another.

So it was yesterday when I had my highest page-visit number since right after Barack Obama's historic election and John Yarmuth's record-setting re-election in November 2008. Maybe it was the handsome photo of the Queen's grandson. Maybe not.

A total of 165 people stopped by the blog and at least 28 of them read more than one page. Honestly, as long as my six faithful readers keep reading, I'm happy. But, I'm glad to have the rest that came by yesterday. Hopefully, they (you) will come back. Today's posting is simply about the visits. Tomorrow's will probably be about snow - and maybe what the governor does or doesn't say tonight in his State of the Commonwealth address, likely to be an exercise is dark tragedy.

I must acknowledge the primary reason I got all the visitors yesterday. Jacob Payne, who writes PageOneKentucky, included a link to my blog in his morning posting, making reference to my entry on the lieutenant governor question. It was the very last bullet of his multi-bulleted entry which proves that people do in fact read all the way to the end. Or maybe they just read the first two or three and the last two or three. In any event, 87 of the 165 visits yesterday, came directly from PageOneKentucky and that link in his blog.

Among them were visits from Squier Knapp & Dunn Media in DC, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Bluegrass Healthcare Systems, three different state universities here in Kentucky, and more than a few people who work for an entity whose website ends in ky.gov. I had visits from some new places - Baltimore, MD; Dexter, MO; Memphis, TN; Labelle, FL; Medford, MA; Ogden, UT; and Bothell, WA. And, as I said, alot came over from one blog, then left to yet another blog. As I said, we can be very incestuous.

583. Who might be Kentucky's next Prince of Wales?

The current Prince of Wales is Charles, eldest son of the reiging Queen of England, Elizabeth II. Since 1301, that title has, for the most part, been bestowed on the "next in line" to the British throne. Great Britain's "next" Prince of Wales will presumably be the eldest son of Prince Charles, His Royal Highness Prince William (at right), who I understand goes by the nickname of Wills.

In Kentucky, we do not have "heirs to the throne." We do have lines of succession for our highest office, that of governor. Earlier today, blogger Jacob Payne posted an entry over at PageOneKentucky raising the question of who would succeed Lieutenant Governor Dan Mongiardo should he be elected to the office of United States Senate, an office he is this year seeking for the second time. It is a purely academic question.

I'm not sure why Mr. Payne raises the question. He, like me, is supporting Jack Conway against the sitting lieutenant governor in that race and maybe he was trying to send up a warning flag - "if you elect Dan Mongiardo, Kentucky's Constitution says his successor as lieutenant governor will be David Williams." David Williams, the Republican state senator who serves as President of the State Senate, is generally regarded in very poor terms amongst Kentucky's Democrats and more than a few of Kentucky's Republicans. He isn't quite Darth Vader as former Vice President Big Dick Cheney has came to be known, but he is the greatest legislative stumbling block to Kentucky progress to be found anywhere in the Commonwealth. He (arguably) is a resident of Burkesville, Kentucky, an idyllic little town in a sweeping curve of the Cumberland River, in a county named for the river, at the intersection of KY61 and KY90. Mr. Payne correctly cites to two sections of Kentucky's adopted-in-1891 Constitution which might lead one to believe that Senator Willams could possibly become Lieutenant Governor Williams should Lieutenant Governor Mongiardo become United States Senator Mongiardo. Let me assure that while the second idea is a distinct possibility, the first is not.

Mr. Payne's posting offered me an opportunity to respond with a lesson on Kentucky's governors who have served without a lieutenant governor, and in doing so, answering Mr. Payne's purely academic question of who might be Kentucky's next Prince of Wales. I've copied below my response (which is of course my work) from Mr. Payne's blog. It is a short history lesson on vacancies in the office of Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky. I'm sure this is something you may have learned in an 8th grade Core class in that section on Kentucky History. Hopefully, it answers the question Mr. Payne asks. My (corrected) response is:

Our state has not, to my knowledge, ever provided for the filling of the office of lieutenant governor should it become vacant, with the exception of one short period of time in 1834 and/or 1835.


I’m not sure why it happened then if indeed it actually did, but the person who is sometimes referred to as the lieutenant governor during that time, James Guthrie of Louisville (at left), was actually President of the State Senate. Nonetheless, his name sometimes appears as one of Kentucky’s lieutenant governors.

The last acknowleged “appointment” of a lieutenant governor (and as far as I can tell the only time such an event has happened) occurs after 1868 when John Larue Helm (for whom Larue County may have been named) died and Lt. Gov. John Stevenson succeeded to the governor’s office. Stevenson served almost the entire term without a lieutenant governor. In 1871, Stevenson was appointed to the U. S. Senate, leaving both top offices vacant. Preston Leslie (for whom Leslie County was named and who was later appointed the Territorial Governor of Montana), was already running for governor at the time, and was also the President of the Senate. Under the terms of the Constitution, just as you cite to above at Section 85 of the present Constitution, the President of the Senate does not succeed to the #2 spot, but rather in the absence of a #2, to the #1 spot. Leslie (above right) was then elected to a term in his own right.

Since that time, several men have served as governor during periods where there was no lieutenant governor. The most recent was in 1975. Governor Wendell Ford was elected to the United States Senate in the last year of his term and his lieutenant governor, Julian Carroll, served out the term without a lieutenant governor.

This same scenario was repeated in earlier times: in 1950-51 when Lawrence Wetherby (one of several Jefferson Countians to serve as governor) served out for the former governor/new senator Earle Clements; in 1939 it was Keen Johnson for A. B. “Happy” Chandler; in 1919 it was James Black for A. O. Stanley; and in 1900-01 it was J. C. W. Beckham for the assassinated (and perhaps questionably elected and seated) William Goebel, the only governor of any state ever assassinated.

All of these men ran for governor in the subsequently next election, and with the exception of Black, all were elected. Black lost to Ed Morrow.

So, we needn’t be concerned about who will be lieutenant governor should the current one get elected to the senate. If that happens, we should only worry about the current governor finishing the term so as to avoid the possibility of the Burkesville Bully ascending to the top spot.

There are lots of things to worry about in Frankfort these days. Who is in the succession line isn’t one of them.

Act IV

Today marks the Third Anniversary of the blog, meaning we are entering the fourth year of postings, page visits, and comments. Thus, Act IV. The blog was started on this date in 2007. This is the 582nd posting. According to the "Labels" section, 264 of these posts - or 45.36% - have related to politics or politicians, clearly the topic which holds much of my interest. But, as you know there are other interests - history, my home town of Louisville (the 42nd largest city in the Republic), travel, the weather, and people in general. As a writer, I enjoy covering all of these topics, often together. And the therapy is great.

It should prove to be an interesting year. In my own personal life, I'm finally - after a near-six year quest and struggle - moving my "letter" from one religious denomination to another, something I last did in 1979 when I was 18. I also have some plans to straighten out my home life and my home itself which is in dire need of a lot of work. Once the Primary is over, I plan a trip to Puerto Rico. I've actually already made some of the arrangements for that. Later in the summer, I hope to get back to Washington DC. At some point in 2010, I would like to see the Pacific Ocean, maybe from a dock in San Diego. And this is the year in which, God willing, I will celebrate my 50th birthday. I need to start doing things before I get older. That means 2010.

As stated, all this is after the Primary. Louisvillians tend to build their Spring/Summer plans around dates either before or after the Derby. Political hacks like me schedule things either after the Primary, before Fancy Farm, or after the November elections. Once you get into the habit, it is hard to get out of it. Speaking of Fancy Farm, I intend to return this year. The United States Senate races feature basically boring candidates on both sides of the aisle. We'll see how they handle Fancy Farm. The exceptions to the boring status are Rand Paul for the Republicans and Darlene Price for the Democrats. I've indicated in the past my support of Jack Conway, the current Attorney General. I hope he gives me some good reason for me to keep that support current - something he hasn't done of late. In any event, Fancy Farm will be a good time not because of this year's Senate race but because next year's elections are for the Statewide offices. Eyes and ears will be focussed on who might "primary" the governor, and of much greater interest, for what office will the very non-political, Republican, term-limited, Ag Commissioner Richie Farmer file in 2011? He could easily move into Trey Grayson's Secretary of State spot as Trey, too, is term-limited. But there is a widespread undercurrent that Richie - and let's face it, any politician who is immediately known simply by their first name is already in a good spot - will run for the top job - Chief Magistrate of the Commonwealth. If so, his road to the Executive Mansion will likely start in Graves County the first Saturday in August. Again because of term limits, Democrats will have an opportunity to win back the Ag Comm seat as well as the Secretary of State position. And the Auditor's Office will be empty as well for the same reasons - term limits. A note here - Crit Luallen, the current Auditor, who I will admit I took some time warming up to, has been an exceptional State Auditor of Public Accounts. She should be looking higher. We'll see who has the biggest RVs and hospitality rooms down at Kentucky Dam Village on the Friday night before Fancy Farm on Saturday.

There is also a mayor's race here along the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606. I'm supporting and working for Greg Fischer. His Democratic opponents so far are Jim King and David Tandy, both members of the Metro Council, and Tyler Allen, a Louisville area businessman who has spearheaded the efforts against construction of a second downtown Interstate bridge, efforts I wholeheartedly support. My old friend Burrell Farmsley has also filed and he will be working his campaign by talking to voters in parts of town usually not reached by conventional methods. I know how Burrell works as we worked side-by-side on a special project during the '06 campaign for John Yarmuth. It is rumored a woman may enter the race as early as tomorrow. She has been on my radar screen for some time and I know she has spoken with people in recent days concerning a staffing-up should she decide to enter the race. I believe there is ample political capacity still out there for such a candidacy - perhaps even for two additional candidacies. All will have until the end of the month to file.

One seat being quietly vacated is that of the Jefferson County Judge/Executive, a post which since Merger (2003) has been sans potfolio. Ken Herndon is the two-term holder of that position, but he has said he will not seek reelection. Ken has quietly held the position as a courtesy to His Honor the Mayor of Louisville-Jefferson County Metro as well as to the Louisville-Jefferson County Democratic Party. He has stirred no waves in his administration of the office, a place where mischief could have easily been manufactured. The mayor has failed to ackowledge that service on the part of Mr. Herndon. Herndon has indicated he is abandoning the post in preparation for a second run for the Metro Council in 2012.

Aside from politics, somewhere in the next year will be roadtrips along Kentucky's backroads. I will make a point of getting to Lawrence and Elliott counties - that is for certain. I'll try to make a few Civil War reenactments as well. There are several all around the state, from Sacremento to Richmond to Munfordville to the big one - Perryville. And I will continue my genealogical research which usually yields answers to questions I've never raised and fails to respond to those I have. But, that makes it worthwhile.

So stick around. Keep visiting. 2010 will surely be better than 2009. Let's face it - for a lot of people 2009 was a disaster.

Thanks for reading.

581. Farewell to 2009

Thus ends another year. The skies are dark and grey, although it is not all that cold right this moment. The temperature here along the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606 is about 42 degrees and the wind is, oddly, southerly. All that is scheduled to change later tonight when the mercury will dip into the high teens or low 20s, amidst what is now rain and drizzle, there will likely be ice and sleet for the year's-end celebration.

This entry is set to review the blog over the year and here and there a look ahead to 2010 and what plans might be made. This will be the 154th entry for the year, down from the 167 of 2008, and considerably down from the 250 during the first year's writing. There is a message in those numbers which will probably be borne out sometime in 2010.

The year started with a recollection of the Kentucky counties which I visited in 2008, something I've kept track of since 1979. I've been to all of Kentucky's counties at least twice, but usually make it only to 45 or 60 in any given year. This year's number is 45, compared with 44 in 2008. For the 22nd year in a row, Elliott and Lawrence have eluded me. These two counties I've been to only twice in the 31 years I've been keeping count - in 1979 and 1987. Twenty-two years is too long not to visit places like Ordinary, Sandy Hook, Blaine, Louisa, and Fallsburg, the latter being the hometown of former governor Paul Patton. Sometime this year, I'll see those places again - maybe I'll ask the inhabitants thereof what is on their minds as we begin the statewide races for 2011. Elliott is the most reliably Democratic county in the Commonwealth.

Later entries in January 2009 dealt with my return to City Hall, a trip to Washington to see Barack Obama inaugurated, and an ice storm of grand and trajic proportion visited upon the city. I'm not as pleased with President Obama as I was with candidate Obama - is anyone ever so? He has had a year to play. I hope 2010 is far more successful for him and the country than 2009 proved to be. I'm not sure how he is to accomplish that, but I am hopeful that he has some idea. One of the deficiencies of the last administration was their clear lack of a plan - other than the schemes of Big Dick Cheney. This administration must put forth some plan of action. Failed plans are better than no plans. FDR went through several iterations of plans when he was dealing with his recession.

February's entries marked Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday, a visit to Belknap Theater, the viewing of two films at the cinema (the last time I've "been to the movies"), and a decision regarding my religious affiliation. On the 15th I announced that I would begin the steps necessary to leave the Roman Catholic Church and join the Episcopal Church. It was a decision I had been very slowly making since the summer of 2003. That decision will become final on January 24, 2010, when I am officially received into the Episcopal Church of the Advent by Bishop Ted Gulick of the Diocese of Kentucky.

March's entries seemed mostly concerned with basketball. Imagine that - a blog in Kentucky mentioning basketball in March. There is also an entry on Kevin Triplett's deer-meat chili, a truckride to the Indiana village of Orleans, and the unfortunate passing of Chuck Olmstead, who was a friend for many years.

With Spring springing in April, it is obvious I took to the roadways. There are pictures from Bath County, the community of Salt Lick, the Nada Tunnel in Red River Gorge, and an intersection in Perry County. There are also pictures of Kentucky's earliest division of counties, a Louisville road map, and a flooded Churchill Downs.

May began with a 50-1 shot winning the Kentucky Derby - Mine That Bird. And while 2009 was a non-election year, May is still, even without an election, a naturally political month in Kentucky, the month in which our primaries are held. In a variety of entries, I manged to mention Gore Vidal, Jim Wayne, Perry Clark, Doug Hawkins, Dan Borsch, Robert Linn (of Pennsylvania), Rand Paul, John Yarmuth, Richard Nixon, William Taft, James K. Polk, Steve Beshear, and Stuart Perelmuter. Stuart, by the way, will be 30 (Damn!) next week and is celebrating the big day with a party. He is one of my favorite people on the planet.

On June 1st, we celebrated Kentucky's 217th birthday. Well, at least I did. I don't think there were any official commemorations. Later entries were all over the board - a Lincoln statue dedication, an immigration discussion with fellow blogger Paul Hosse, a trip with my friend Preston to a place called Preston Plantation, and a meandering discussion on racetrack slots wherein I mentioned ten different Kentucky counties, threw in some Scripture, invoked the names of former members of Congress Anne Northup and Henry Hyde, and reminded my readers of the fun I had with a bottle (and a half) of Old Forester Bourbon the night John Yarmuth was elected in 2006. That was quite an entry. June closed in a much more somber and recollective manner upon the death of music icon Michael Jackson.

The long, hot, summer days of July saw Craig Greenberg exit the mayor's race and Sarah Palin exit the governor's office in Alaska. Then there was the "Dan" entry - some political coverage of Dan Mongiardo, Dan Seum, Dan Kelly, and the son of Danny Meyer. Other entries mentioned Shakespeare in Central Park, and memories from 1998 of the race for Mayor of Louisville, and 1969 of Neil Armstrong's landing on the moon.

The first Saturday in August marks the annual Fancy Farm Picnic in Graves County. For the first time in many years, I did not attend. Instead of the hot and sweaty winds of west Kentucky and arguably vulgar mouth of Jack Conway, instead I wrote of Louisville's inundation by a flood on August 4th. It was devastating to a number of mostly inner-city neighborhoods, the same areas which flooded in the Great Flood of 1937. I lost a water-heater and furnace due to standing water in my cellar. Others' losses were much, much greater. Mid-August brought the State Fair and the special election of Robin Webb in east Kentucky, and the long-awaited but hard to accept death of United States Senator Edward Kennedy.

September's entries included a trip with Chris Hartmann to an Indian restaurant on Bardstown Road, comments on Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina effectively calling the president a liar, and former President Jimmy Carter effectively calling Congressman Wilson a racist. Tense times. By the way, Joe Wilson is being challenged in 2010 by Rob Miller, a former Marine, who also ran in 2008. You may want to look into that race. Later entries centered on activities at the Kentucky Democratic Party and the revival of a proposed amendment to the KDP By-Laws concerning Special Elections in Fayette and Jefferson counties, a proposal I first made in 2005. My proposal was repeatedly opposed by Tim Longmeyer, the Jefferson County Democratic Party chair. As politics is strange at times, Tim has now proposed virtually the same language he opposed for several years. Whatever his reasoning, I support the changes. Finally, there were several entries on my father's failing health. I'm happy to report that since late October he has been doing considerably better.

Comments on President Barack Obama's win of the Nobel Peace Prize were among October's entries. Others included roadtrips to Owen, Carroll, and Fayette counties, and another through the 14th Senate District in Kentucky's so-called Holy Land. A Harvest Moon began the month and an extremely funny and rather over-the-top sexually performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream at Actors Theater closed it out.

November was mostly consumed with my trip, aboard a Greyhound, to San Antonio, Texas. I had a great time both on the trip and in the city, and wrote several entries to that effect. The trip was inspired by one taken by my friend Keith and his friend Daniel earlier in the year to Los Angeles and back, also on a Greyhound. A note - the two of them arrived early this morning in New York City, again, by way of a Greyhound bus. At some point I might write about the problems of riding the Greyhound, but not now. The end of the month brought the number of visitors to my blog to 60,000. Wow.

That brings us up to December with its shorter days and longer nights. Entries mention President Obama's war, a memorial tribute to my grandfather on Pearl Harbor Day, stunning losses to the Kentucky Democratic Party in two Special Elections, a discussion on political correctness with a Lexington friend, the possibility of new tax revenues mentioned by Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo, the celebration of Christmas, and the passing of a very wonderful and giving person, Mrs. Sylvia Cross, at the age of 92. She will be sorely missed for many generations to come. May her souls and the souls of all the departed Rest In Peace.

So long 2009.

580. And So This Is Christmas

Some stories for Christmas.

This will be the second-to-last entry of the year, barring some earth shattering news, such as the governor calling for a tax increase, the Harrods Creek Bridge opening up, or the Republican Party discovering the teachings of Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas.

*****



The Gospel of Saint Luke, Chapter Two

The Birth of Jesus

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.

(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

*****

Happy Christmas (John Lennon)

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun

And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong

And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
And a new one just begun

Ans so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

War is over over
If you want it
War is over
Now...

*****

A Visit from St. Nicholas (Clement Clark Moore, 1823)


'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danc'd in their heads,


And Mama in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap —
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below;
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a minature sleigh, and eight tiny rein-deer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and call'd them by name:
"Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now! Prancer and Vixen,
"On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Donder and Blitzen;
"To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
"Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys — and St. Nicholas too:

And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound:

He was dress'd all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnish'd with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys was flung on his back,
And he look'd like a peddler just opening his pack:
His eyes — how they twinkled! His dimples: how merry,
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry;
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face, and a little round belly
That shook when he laugh'd, like a bowl full of jelly:
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laugh'd when I saw him in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And fill'd all the stockings; then turn'd with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.

He sprung to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew, like the down of a thistle:
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight —
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.




*****

I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1864)


I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
'There is no peace on earth,' I said,
'For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.'

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
'God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.'

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.



*****

Merry Christmas.

579. On The Road

"Weekends were made for Michelob." That's an old advertising line. A nice cold Michelob might be good on a hot summer weekend night, but this weekend was not the time for imbibing a cold, brisk beer in a sleek, green bottle.

Rather, as is my wont, I spent the weekend on the road, visiting the living and the dead.

Saturday my mother and I travelled to Frankfort together where she dropped me off at the Wendell H. Ford Kentucky Democratic Party Headquarters where I was to attend the 4th Quarter meeting of the Kentucky Democratic Party State Central Executive Committee. My favorite cartoon character, Foghorn Leghorn, might make a funny here, implying that visiting the Democratic Party this weekend could be a stop one would make while visiting the dead. But then, that wouldn't necessarily be a funny - it is well close to the truth given the failures going on in Washington and our recent failures in Special Elections. So instead, I won't say anything about the meeting.

While I was cussing and discussing at the meeting, my mother crossed over US60 to the Sunset Memorial Gardens, where several generations of my people are buried. But, let me rephrase the beginning of the sentence. I did no cussing or discussing at the meeting. In fact, three different people commented on my lack of commenting. It was not for lack of trying. Despite sending the Chair a Christmas Card so as to get on his radar screen, and sitting directly in front of him during the meeting, and politely holding my left hand up for most of the meeting, I was, not surprisingly, never recognised for a comment.

Had the Chair called on me, in our discussion about how do we do this Special Election thing should there be a next time, I would have said that I've never understood why we go through a grand and monumental effort every four years during what is called the Reorganization, (allegedly) electing three people in each precinct in every precinct in the Commonwealth, and that group electing members to County Executive and State Central Executive committees, and then we do very little else with them. We are not even sure if the people we elected last year are still viable to the Party this year. Nor do we make any great effort to fill the vacancies in those precincts where no one was elected. (As a note, I've been told that Fayette and Franklin counties do endeavor to keep these slots filled). The truth is, if every precinct level opening was filled just in Jefferson County, we'd have a base-base of about 1545 troops-on-the-ground. Well, that's what I would have said if given the chance. I will add that several people who did get called on made impressive and passionate speeches - especially Marcus Woodward of Ashland, Charlotte Lundergan of Lexington, Lisa Tanner of Louisville, and Martha Jane King of Lewisburg. Mr. Woodward's discussion on healthcare was somber and sobering. Most everyone applauded. It was a great speech about a serious delinquency in our government. Let me move on.

My mother made her way to her cousin's house off Versailles Road opposite the road that leads back to the Frankfort Country Club. After the meeting, I hitched a ride over there. From that visit, we went to another cousin's house in Versailles, near the big Kroger off Lexington Road in Woodford County, east of town. Our final destination was back in Frankfort, but I very much dislike backtracking, so I coursed through downtown Versailles and headed west on US62, rather than physically north on West US60, the way we came into town.

This ride takes you past the High Bridge across the Kentucky River, just upriver from the old crossing of Shryock's Ferry opposite Tyrone in Anderson County, where perched up on the hill is a sign saying Welcome to Paradise, indicating the home of Wild Turkey Bourbon. We climbed up US62 into the east side of Lawrenceburg, and then northward out US127 toward Frankfort. Along the way, where KY151 (the old US127) leads off to the left is my cousin Loretta Sharp's restaurant called the Captain something. I've never been there. She operates another one by the same name down in Lee County, Florida. She is one of two cousins of mine operating restaurants in the area. The other one is Melanie Baker, who's Melanie's is at the corner of Saint Clair and West Main streets in downtown Frankfort. We didn't stop at the restaurant and instead stayed on US127 out of Anderson and into Franklin, crossing over both I-64 and US60, and leaving that road at KY1005, which takes one over to Choateville to the west. There we visited with my maternal grandmother's oldest sister, Frances Catherine Lewis Moore, who is 89. She had cooked up a pot of vegetable soup with a great deal of roast beef as flavoring. She also had freshly made jam cakes, and while we were there her great-granddaughter whipped up some oatmeal and peanut butter cookies. I had a little of everything.

Eventually, in a hard blowing snowstorm (which didn't stick) we made our way back to Mom's house.

Today was a different trip, one I had not planned until a few days ago. After church, I told a friend I wanted to go find the grave of Mrs. Sylvia Cross, the lady I mentioned in the previous entry who died last week. I knew from the obituary the name of the cemetery and I gathered from maps where the cemetery might be. I knew if I could find the cemetery, her grave would still be fresh and covered with flowers.

We started south on I-65 toward Greensburg, the county seat of Green County. Mrs. Cross was said to have been buried in the Green County Memory Gardens on KY61 south of Summersville. Not wanting to make the trip on the interstate system, I exitted at the Lebanon Junction/Boston exit, one of many along I-65 with KY61. We headed east toward Boston, a tiny community just out of Bullitt County and into Nelson. Turning south on West US62 for a brief period, we then turned east on KY52 which takes one along side the railroad spur from Lebanon Junction over to Lebanon itself, through the communities of Nelsonville and Lyons. The road ends at US31E in the community of New Haven, where we turned south on the Federal highway. I should have bought gas there in New Haven, as it was the cheapest I saw along the entire trip at $2.399 a gallon. But, I didn't. We followed US31E into Larue County, passing along the way the boyhood home of President Abraham Lincoln, the place at Knob Creek. At White City, I thought about turning onto KY470, but couldn't recall exactly where it came out, so instead I stayed on the road I knew, into Hodgenville, around the new roundabout - much better than Louisville's new roundabout at the Zoo, this one seems to have some purpose to it - and then south. We drove up into the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site, noticing the 56 steps representing the years of the president's life, and the granite edifice holding the little log cabin, dubiously yet traditionally held to be the birthplace of the 16th president. The entire facility is presently closed for renovations.

We crossed US31E onto KY61 towards Buffalo. Before US31E was completed sixty years ago between Lincoln's birthplace and Magnolia, this was the road over which is was routed. In Buffalo, I encountered KY470, now remembering where it led. KY470 south of Buffalo is the original alignment of US31E toward Magnolia. We contined on KY61 toward our destination. Along the way, I began noticing the names I read in Mrs. Cross's obituary - we passed a Despain Road (Despain was her maiden name), as well as several sites with the name Bloyd, which was her first husband's last name. We passed over the hill at Mount Sherman, out of Larue County and into Green County, down the hill into Taylor Chapel, through Allendale and Bloyds Crossing, past the old Skyline Drive-In Theater (will open May 1st), and into the crossroads village at Summersville.

At this point, we need only to look for the cemetery which quickly came into view less than a mile from the town on the east side of the road. The cemetery is about two acres and only about half developed. Nearly in the center, closer to the back side than the front, was the newly dug grave, covered over with flowers now a little over a week old. Although it was very muddy due to all the recent rain and snow, my friend and I crossed over to the grave. Her marker appears to have been in place for some time, noting her birth year of 1917, but much too soon for 2009 to mark her death. Next to her's is a gravesite for her son and daughter-in-law, people I've never met, but according to her obit, are still among the living. After a pause, a prayer, and some pictures on my cell phone, this pilgrimage was at an end. About 80 miles separate Mrs. Cross's final residence in Old Louisville and this site she had obviously chosen years ago as her final resting place. I was very sad.

We left the cemetery for the sojourn home. Again not wanting to backtrack, I headed south toward Greensburg, knowing KY88 a few miles ahead could take us over to both US31E at Hardyville or US31W and I-65 at the Hart County seat of Munfordville, usually pronounced with an "s" between the "d" and the "v." Twenty five miles separate KY61 in Green County and US31W in Hart County. Along the way I began to recognise the road, remembering a visit to another graveyard. We came upon the Gilead-Fairview Road, a name which stuck in my mind. I turned there and just a few hundred feet to the north was a fork with a lane called the Pleasant Grove Cemetery Road. Here in this cemetery is buried my cousin Scottie Ralston. I had brought my mother to her funeral in January 2004. The cemetery is quite small and full of stones bearing the name Ralston. Isabelle Scott "Scottie" Dean Ralston's mother and my grandmother were sisters - sisters also to the 89 year old Frances with whom we visited yesterday. I called my mother from the cemetery - Scottie was ten years older than me and ten years younger than my mother when she died.

This was our final stop, from there quickly making our way over to Munfordville and US31W's intersection with I-65. Headed north, crossing the Green River, the Nolin [No Lynn] River, and the Salt, we were safely back home about darktime here along the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606.

So begins Christmas Week. Merry Christmas.

578. On the passing of Mrs. Sylvia Cross

I've learned from my brother tonight of the passing on December 10, 2009 of Sylvia Cross. Her obituary from the Greensburg Record-Herald is copied below. Mrs. Cross was 92 years old, one year and a week younger than my grandmother. When I met her, I thought she was in her early 70s. She was in fact in her mid 80s. Her role in my family was that of "Mammie" to my youngest niece and nephews, all three of whom she helped raise. They are 10, 8, and 6. She was their surrogate great-grandmother, cooking, cleaning, and teaching all of them from their births. And they loved to stay over at her house. Some might have thought three very young kids would prove unhealthful to a woman in her 80s and 90s. The opposite was true. She reveled in them and it was only in the last year or two that she became unable to care for them. She taught them to read and write and to pray and worship. Her house in Old Louisville had an abundance of religious pictures and crosses. She was as good a baby-sitting surrogate great-grandmother as any three kids ever had.

I knew very little about Mrs. Cross outside of this role she served for my niece and nephews. She hinted now and then at a past which included working in several local restaurants and bars, including Masterson's and The Tavern on Fourth Street - a wide berth separates those two establishments. Until I read her obituary a few minutes ago, I knew nothing of her family. I have always been aware of a granddaughter who I think was about my age, but I never met her.

The last several years Mrs. Cross asked me to take her to vote. She lived in K105 which votes at Noe Middle School. In 2007 she switched from being an Indepedent to being a Democrat. She confided in me that while she had her doubts about whether "Barama" was a Christian and it truly worried her, that she did think he was a change agent and she wanted change, and bringing change to America was more important than this man's religion. She always enjoyed talking to the inside workers when I took her to the polls. And she knew that last fall's election would likely be her last. She knew that whatever change this new president would bring, she would live through very little of it. She was hopeful for the future - for me and my brother, his kids, and her family. She was a very proud, patriotic, and religious woman.

I do not know if my niece and nephews, especially Elijah, who is 6, will, when they are my age, remember Mrs. Cross. I do know she thought the world of them and I know they are better off for having been in her care. I know will miss her. Rest In Peace, Mrs. Cross.

FRom the Greensburg Record-Herald:

Sylvia Hazel Cross was born Aug. 8, 1917 in Green County, Kentucky to the late Minnie Lee Druin Depain. She departed this life Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009 at the Taylor Regional Hospital in Campbellsville, Kentucky, having attained the age of ninety-two years, four months and two days.

Mrs. Cross had made a profession of faith in Christ and was a member of the Liberty Missionary Baptist Church in Greensburg.

She is preceded in death by one son, Lewis Bloyd and two brothers, William Boyd Despain and Russell Despain.

She is survived by three sons, Vernon “Duck” Bloyd and David Buley of Mt. Sherman, Ky; and Hugh Bloyd of Louisville; and one daughter, Sheila M. Buley of Louisville; She is also survived by one brother, Shively Despain of Florida. She was loved and supported by her first grandchild and her husband, Lori and Darrell Cox and their children, Jodi and Desteny. Also surviving are a host of grandchildren, great grandchildren, plus other relatives and friends.

Service took place at Foster-Toler-Curry Funeral Home, Monday, Dec. 14, 2009 at noon.
Visitation took place after 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009 where minister, Rev. James Walker officiated.

Interment took place in the Green Co. Memory Garden in Summersville.

Pallbearers were David Buley, Vernon Bloyd, Hugh Bloyd, Troy Buley, Darrell Cox and Jerry Hall.

On-line Condolences can be made at www.fostertolercurry.com

577. The Bad, the Good, the Important

1. The Bad News.
The United States Senate and specifically the Republican Conference has declared the Insurance Industry is now in full control of the U. S. government. The American Republic is obsolete. And the Party in the majority is helpless. I'm not sure [read I'm not smart enough to know] where we go from here.

2. The Good News.
Kentucky Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo, of Prestonsburg, indicated some capacity and support on the part of Kentuckians for additional [meaning new] taxes in support of education. A lot of us on the left want to look at a lot more than the Speaker does, but this is a great and good first step. Thank you Greg Stumbo.

3. The Important News.
I sent a handwritten letter to The Most Reverend Joseph Kurtz, D.D., Archbishop of Louisville, yesterday explaining that the time had come for me to formally leave the Roman Catholic Church. I cited my thirty years of active membership at Holy Family Parish, my beliefs in Social Justice, my concern that the current Church of Rome in the United States is simply an arm of the right wing of the Republican Party, and that Jesus' sermon in the Gospel of Saint Matthew at Chapter 25, Verse 45 has been given over to the close-minded and narrow-focussed campaigns that in my opinion were never a part of the teachings of Jesus. I also emailed The Reverend Tim Mitchell, Rector of the Episcopal Church of the Advent, requesting to be received into that church at the earliest possible date, presumably in January upon the visit to the church by the Bishop of the Diocese of Kentucky.

It has been an interesting week so far.

Beware the Ides of December

I'm writing on Monday evening, the 14th of December. The temperature here along the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606 is 62 degrees. Sixty-Two as in the year my little brother was born. It would have been a great night for Hallowe'en, when the temperature was in the 30s.

I was outside looking at the brood of clouds moving across the skies thinking it would be a great night to go hiking along some trail, maybe in Cherokee Park or out in the Jefferson Memorial Forest. Parks officials frown on such things - hiking in the parks at night and alone. It is, however, the best time go out and mingle with nature. And it is best done away from the city, away from the airport, away from the interstates. Cherokee works for two out of three. The forest works for one out of three if your hiking on the north front of the line of hills stretching across southern Jefferson County from the Dodge Hill Pass eastward to South Park Hill. Hiking on the southside accomplishes all three.

In recent liturgies the priest at church has been using the expression "the moon, the stars, and the wind." Or something like that. I should pay more attention if I am going to quote him. These are the sights you see when out on an enchanted evening like tonight. Every time he does I'm reminded of a few lines from an Irish play I read in college, Sean O'Casey's 1925 Juno and the Paycock, which is technically a tragedy, and the storyline is indeed tragic, but two of the characters - "Captain" Jack Boyle and "Joxer" Daly are rather comical at times - a pair of drunken buddies with no real occupation or preoccupation except spending time in either Ryan's or Foley's tavern.

The "Captain" has created an image of himself as an old sailor whose early life was spent upon the open seas of runs between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, something we know is not the case. At one point, telling a story to his pal Joxer, he comments

"I ofen looked up at the sky an' assed myself the question -- what is the stars, what is the stars? An' then, I'd have another look, an' ass meself -- what is the moon, what is the moon?"

That's what I was doing outside tonight, looking at first my porch, with two pumpkins still guarding the doorway and a wreath adorning the door itself, looking up at the skies and saying something loony "what is the stars, what is the moon?" Frankly, it is an astonishing looking evening outside. I may go back out and smoke a cigar. I'm down to my last one - time to make a run up to Kremer's.

It has been a weirdish kind of day. I've upset a few friends, made up with another one, and have been somewhat absent-minded all day, something some people accuse me of on a regular basis.

Thus, beware the Ides of December. Even in that sentiment, I am off. We all know from Shakespeare that the Ides of March fall upon the 15th. In the old Roman calendar, that was the case in only four months - March, May, July, and October. In the other months, the ides fell upon the 13th. Thus it was yesterday to be wary of, not tomorrow. I was weary yesterday, though not wary. I am growing wary of things as we approach the end of the calendar year. Like so many years, I will be glad of its passing. 2010 should make for a better year, albeit the one in which I will turn 50. I'm not prepared for that.

So for now, we'll just turn the page to tomorrow. To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow creeps in this petty pace . . . . .

Rob's 36th

December 13th is always a somber day for me. It was the birthday of a dear friend who died at much too young an age. Today would have been his 36th birthday. Happy Birthday, Rob. Rest In Peace.

574. Explaining Political Correctness at Christmas

I want to share an email I received today and my response to it. I probably should not have responded, but it is about the sixth or seventh email of this nature I have received this "season." There is a widespread belief, by conservatives and moderates, that most liberals are non-believers - or heathens. To be sure, a number of liberals indeed are non-believers. Some are of other faiths, whether Jewish or Muslim or otherwise; others are agnostic, questioning things here and there; and some are atheists - non-believers. Some of us are a combination though we do not always recognise that trait.

I think I am a believer: a Democrat who believes, a liberal Christian.

The email I received is from a friend of mine, a retired attorney in Lexington who I've gotten to know through politics, someone whose opinions I respect. We are both Democrats. For the purposes of this entry, we shall call him Mr. Clay. (There have been some famous attorneys from Lexington named Mr. Clay, but they did not align themselves with the Democratic Party, nor did any of them ever email me). Our Mr. Clay's email is below, followed by my response.

*****

From: Mr. Clay
To: Mr. Clay's friends
Subject: MERRY CHRISTMAS
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:03:11 -0500

Merry Christmas

I will be making a conscious effort to wish everyone
a Merry CHRISTmas this year ...

My way of saying that I am celebrating
the birth Of Jesus Christ.

So I am asking my email buddies,
if you agree with me,
to please do the same.

And if you'll pass this on to
your email buddies, and so on...
maybe we can prevent one more
American tradition from being lost in the sea of
"Political Correctness".

*****

And my response:

Mr. Clay --

First, Merry Christmas to you as well.

Let me relate a story. Living alone I do not have much need to decorate - no kids to look under the tree for presents - just me (and I know what Santa is bringing me). So, every year, on the day after Thanksgiving I hang a wreath on my front door and put candles in my two front windows. But, I don't light them until the 24th. I was taught that we decorate for Christmas but only on Christmas Eve does "the star appear" and we turn on the lights. My lighted wreath and candles stay lit through January 6, the Feast of Epiphany, and the day we celebrate the visitation of the Wise Men to the manger.

As you know, I'm a pretty liberal guy - one of the more liberal ones you may know. I'm a faithful and longterm member of the ACLU as well as the American United for the Separation of Church and State and other "leftist" outfits. I am one of those people who jump up and down about the separation of church and state, or to use the words of the Constitution, "the respect of one religion over another" by the government.

I do not expect everyone to celebrate the Birth of Christ the way I do, with a succession of Advent Candles being lit from Sunday to Sunday between now and the 24th, or the Twelve Days of Christmas being celebrated, as I was taught, from December 25th to January 5th. But I do celebrate. And I have a deep, abiding faith in God and Christ. And while am very, very far from perfect, I think my beliefs are in line with Christ's. But then, I think every Christian thinks that - that their beliefs are in line with Christ's. None of us are completely right and none of us are completely wrong.

The main thing is to believe. To believe in grace, to believe in mercy, to believe in redemption, to believe in love.

Thanks for the email. I hope you and all your family are well. Enjoy the season. Merry Christmas. Pray for a healthy and peaceful 2010.

Your friend,

Jeff Noble

573. Democratic Party Party

The Jefferson County Democratic Party in cooperation with and coordination by the Metro Democratic Club held its annual Holiday Party tonight at the American Legion Hall on Bardstown Road. Approximately 140 people attended. Roast Beef and Gravy were supplied by the club and everyone was asked to bring a dish and from the amount of food present, everyone did.

There was no official business, just a lot of good food, lots of political conversation, and more than a little good-natured ribbing between opposing camps in the Louisville Metro Mayor's race. The top elected official present was Lieutenant Governor Daniel Mongiardo who worked the room over and over throughout the evening. Two of the four mayoral candidates were present - David Tandy and Greg Fischer. Several representatives of the Jim King campaign were there, led by Jonathan Hurst who is always delightful, even (or especially) when we are in competing camps.

The event was cosponsored by several local elected officals. They were Congressman John Yarmuth, Sheriff John Aubrey, PVA Tony Lindauer (who was present), Representative Joni Jenkins, Councilwoman Vicki Aubrey Welch (who was present), 38th District Senatorial candidate Marty Meyer (who was present), 25th District Council candidate David Yates (who was present), Circuit Clerk David Nicholson (who was present), Senator Perry Clark (who was present), Speaker Pro-Tem Larry Clark, Representative Charlie Miller, Representative Mary Lou Marzian, [my] Representative Darryl Owens (who was present), Councilwoman Madonna Flood, my boss Councilman Brent Ackerson (who was present), Senator Denise Harper Angel (who was present), Representative Steve Riggs (who was present), Representative Tom Riner (who was present), 41st District House candidate Mike Slaton (who was present), and mayoral candidate David Tandy (who was present). Greg Fischer's wife donated a large gift box suitable for a young girl, which was won by David Yates but managed to go home with the young daughter of Judge Mason Trenamon. Other members from the bench besides Judge Trenamon were Circuit Judge Olu Stephens and District Judges Claude Prather, Shelia Collins, Jennifer Wilcox, Erica Lee Williams, and Ann Bailey Smith. Retired Judge Judy Bartholomew was also present. Three candidates for judge were also present, Stephanie Burke, Christine Ward, and Dee McDonald. (What would a judicial election in Jefferson County without a McDonald on the ballot?) Also present were Councilwoman Marianne Butler, State Treasurer Todd Hollenbach, Representative Dennis Horlander, 37th House candidate Jeff Donahue, and 23rd Council candidate John Sommers. There may have been others, but these were the ones I recognized and announced as the night progressed.

The party lasted about 2 1/2 hours. It was a very good night, something we needed after the massive legislative failure of the Party the previous night in central and eastern Kentucky. We tried not to talk about it.

The next meeting of the Metro Democratic Club will be January 13, 2010 when the discussion will be on the current Ethics legislation before the Metro Council. Speakers will be Councilmembers Marianne Butler and Brent Ackerson.


Here is a link to pictures taken by Ray Crider at last night's party.
http://picasaweb.google.com/ray.crider/DemocraticHolidayParty2009#

572. What do I know?

Two Special Elections were held today in Kentucky, filling empty seats in our General Assembly - one in the House, one in the Senate. I made several predictions on the Senate race, a race I seemed pretty sure of. I wasn't as confident in the House race, further away geographically than the Senate seat, my jusitifcation for not knowing enough to offer my highly unqualifed guess as to what might happen.

The senate race was in Kentucky's 14th Seante District, which covers territory in Nelson, Washington, Mercer, Marion, and Taylor counties, some of the prettiest and most historic areas of the state. Nelson was the first county formed after the original split of Kentucky County, Virginia into Fayette, Jefferson, and Lincoln counties. Nelson took all of its territory from Jefferson. Washington is home to the little log cabin where Thomas and Nancy Lincoln made their wedding vows in 1806. Three years (and a few counties) away, a son was born, savior of the Union, one Abraham, 16th president of the United States of America. Mercer is home to Old Fort Harrod State Park in downtown Harrodsburg, which itself is the oldest city in the Commonwealth and was the original county seat of Kentucky County, Virginia. Marion County, the geographic center of the Commonwealth, has place names like Holy Cross, St. Charles, St. Francis, St. Mary, and Raywick indicating its Catholic roots. (What, you've never heard of Saint Raywick?). They recently opened a new government center in the courthouse town of Lebanon. South of Marion is Taylor County, decidedly not Catholic, but Baptist, and home to Campbellsville University, Green River Lake, and Tebbs Bend, where the cemetery holds the remains of two cousins of mine, James and Alexander Hockensmith, foot soldiers of the Confederate States of America.

The senator from this area for many years has been a Republican and most political pundits figured the seat would stay Republican. I was not one of those. Going out on a limb (apparently with a saw in tow), I made several predictions in this race, only two of which were correct. I predicted that the Democratic candidate, Jodie Haydon, would carry his home county of Nelson, which he did. I also predicted Senator-elect Jimmie Higdon would win his home county, Marion, and one other, Taylor. He did. There ends the successes of my prognosticating. I got the other two counties wrong as well as the turnout and the end result. I predicted a turnout of 22%, it was 24%. I predicted a win for the Democrats - I was wrong.

This only goes to prove that I know very little outside of Jefferson County politics. I wish that wasn't the case, but it is. The good news is that in a statewide race, Jefferson accounts for about 1/6 of the total vote. As long as I stick to what I know, I might possibly have a chance at redemption. If not, I could take my books, relocate to five acres in Bullitt County, home of my paternal grandmother's forefathers, the Lee family, and tend to a garden of tomatoes, peppers, corn, lettuce, and pumpkin. That really doesn't sound like too bad of a plan.

*****

Here below are the results for both race, both of which were won by the Republican candidate.

Unofficial results for State Senate 14th District

Marion County 2,860, Higdon (R) - 1,405, Haydon (D)

Mercer 1,542, Higdon - 1,186, Haydon

Nelson 2,982, Higdon - 3,840, Haydon

Taylor 2,612, Higdon - 1,396, Haydon

Washington 1,331, Higdon - 1,054, Haydon

Totals: 11,327, Hidgon - 8,881, Haydon


Total Registered Voters = 83,416
Total Votes Cast = 20,208
Turnout = 24%

*****

Unofficial results for State Representative 96th District

Carter 1,702, Jill York (R) - 1,285, Barry Webb (D)

Lewis 843, York - 378, Webb


Total: 2,545, York - 1,663, Webb


Total Registered Voters = 29,112
Total Votes Cast = 4,208
Turnout = 14%